Western & Southern CEO John Barrett spoke Monday about reaching a deal on purchasing the Anna Louise Inn from Cincinnati Union Bethel. / The Enquirer/Gary Landers

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On the day his company finally reached a deal to purchase Anna Louise Inn after years of conflict, Western & Southern’s chief executive officer was already thinking about the future.

John F. Barrett says redeveloping the Anna Louise Inn is the critical component to unlocking the potential of W&S’ significant real estate holdings around Lytle Park.

He envisions up to seven new restaurants eventually coming online, a new garage with housing on top, and a new headquarters that would complement W&S’ existing space, which is bulging at the seams.

A Reading Road facility for the Anna Louise Inn’s current residents must be built first, and Lytle Park is set for a $6 million overhaul.

Now that the legal fights are finished, a relaxed Barrett talked with the Enquirer on Monday about how he managed through the standoff, and why redeveloping W&S’ neighborhood is so important to Downtown.

They contacted us several weeks ago, and were ready to sit down and make a deal. We were able to do it, which we’re delighted about. We’ve got a win-win for everybody. We’ve been hoping for this for a long time, it makes such sense. Other than pride, there are no losers.

Were you concerned about how long the conflict was lasting?

We never thought it was a slam dunk. There’s always some concern, but you knew eventually sane people come to sane conclusions. And it worked out well.

You knew going in this would be a public relations challenge for W&S.

Sure, but if you believe in something, you believe in it. That’s what this company’s always done, stood up for its rights. Our zoning was totally infringed upon, and all those investments people make based on zoning were like, so what. So we said, ‘That’s not right.’ And we were vindicated on that. And the whole deal was done without us being aware of it, and we’re the neighbor.

What was your PR strategy?

Stay on the high road, stick with the facts, and persevere. Do not fall for the bait, don’t get into it. It’s a win-win deal, so get a win-win deal. And we did.

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How much potential does that eastern part of downtown have if you develop what you own?

The (University of Cincinnati) study we did showed that it could generate $400 million of economic value over 30 years. Our hope is that in six or seven years, people from all over town take a taxi to Lytle Park, get out, and figure out where they’re going to have dinner when they get there.

How does that fit into the rest of downtown’s transformation?

You’ve got to have anchors. You’ve got pockets of activity, I used to live in Wilmington, Delaware, and we had a long city. It didn’t work. You need concentration.

We’ve got a great restaurant and housing hub in Over-the-Rhine. You’ve got a very interesting thing on The Banks, with lots of housing and bars, some restaurants. Fountain Square is sort of the center of town, but maybe not the center of business anymore. The center of business has moved east. And I look at this end of town as being your business hub.

As you look back on your career, does this stand out as a particularly difficult situation to manage through?

It’s over, now we’ll plan Phase B of what will be there. I dwell so little on the past it would blow your mind.